Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1917 — FEEDERS VS BREEDING STOCK [ARTICLE]

FEEDERS VS BREEDING STOCK

Should All Cattle Ixx»k .Mike for Taxation Purposes. Unless exceeded by J. J. Lawler, Granville Moody—or Moody & Hall as it appears on ihe tax duplicate, the Hall is understood to be some Eastern man—of Barkley township is perhaps the largest cattle raiser in Jasper county as well as one of the largest individual landowners in said township. The Gifford estate still owns several thousand acres in Barkley, and John Eger owns 2,200 acres. Mr, Moody has something over .1,000 acres, and according to his assessment sheet for 1917, he and his partner Hall had 575 head of cattle'upon this farm or ranch March 1 last, and their assessment upon these cattle —which are merely feeders, no fancy stock at all — horses, corn, oarts, ensilage, hay, etc., was $36,690. The itemized assessment list— Mr. Moody has a personal assessment of $1,340 in addition to this —is as follows: . Value of harness. ........ $ 20 Tools and implements..... 50 Manure spreader ... 29 7 horses under 1 year.... 4 horses 1 year old or over 160 14 horses 3 yrs old or over 1,050 2 mules 1 year old or over 150 250 cattle under 1 year... 5,000 325 cattle 3 years or over.. 23,150 300 hogs - . ......- L 350 8,000 bushels corn ....... 4,800 300 bushels oats . ........ 40 tons of hay ......... . 240 Ensilage ........ 400 Total .$36,690 "U ' . In speaking of the recent sale at Orchard Lake farm in Newton county, when Warren T. McCray sold seventy-five head of Hereford cattle for more than $131,000, a gentleman in The Democrat office remarked that he would Just like to know how much those cattle were assessed at for taxation. As his position was no different perhaps than.that of a great many others, the writer, while in Kentland recently, went to the county auditor’s office and ascertained the facts. t It will be recalled that at the recent sale Mr. McCray sold one animal for $17,000, and that sum is exactly $4,000 more than the taxable value placed on 265 head of cattle, including the seventy-five head sold for more than $131,000 and the one animal sold for • $17,000. The sale was held in May, less than three months after Mr. McCray valued all of his Hereford cattle at $13,000 for taxation. McCray’s stock farm is situated in Grant township, Newton, county, and the total list of his personal property at the farm, as given to

ship of rtiore than 300. Following the meeting at Remthe assessor of Grant township, is as follows: Implements and mach’y. $ 150.00 Harness’ .............. 75.00 3 manure spreaders, . . . 40.00 3 gas engines ......... 100.00 7 carriages,, wagons, etc.. 105.00 1 automobile .......... .100.00 2 horses under 1 year. . . 70.00 4 horses over 3 years. . ■ 400.00 12 mules over 3 years. . . 1200.00 40 cattle under 1 year ■■. . 1000.00 50 cattle over 1 year ... 2000.00 40 cattle over 2 years . . 2000.00 135 cattle over 2 years.. ■ 8000.00 75 head of hogs . ...... 600.00 Oats on hand .... 9 200.00 1 threshing machine ... 100.00 Total . ... .. . ... .... . $17.-<-0.00. The reader will see that no feed other than S2OO worth of oats is mentioned, yet there are several [ silos on the farm, and one would presume that there should be, a considerable quantity of hay, corn and alfalfa on this farm March 1. Placing a value on these high' bred cattle proportionate to the price for which t the' seventy-five head sold, they were on the first «jay of March worth $458,500, yet are given in for taxation at. only $13,000. .■ ' ■ - • -